Escutcheon and escutcheon fastening means



Nov. 28, 1950 E. B. CAIN 2,531,670

ESCUTCHEON AND ESCUTCHEON FASTENING MEANS Filed Dec. 30, 1946 63f INVEN TOR -ELMER B. CAIN ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1950 ESC UTCHEON AND ESOUTCHEON FASTENING MEAN S Elmer B. Cain, Collingswo'od, N. -.I., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application December 30, 1946, Serial No. 719,273

4 Claims. 1

The present inventionrelates to shaft operating devices and panel escutcheons and, more particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, to a novel panel escutcheon together with novel escutcheon fastening and locating means; and, also the invention is concerned with a novel control shaft operating means for cooperating with the escutcheon.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel escutcheon for covering an opening oi a panel.

Another important object is to provide novel fastening means forsecuring an escutcheon in place on a panel.

A further object is to provide novelsecuring means for a panel escutcheon which enables the escutcheon to be located accurately with respect to a control shaft, or the like, without the aid of fastening means such as screws, or the like, engaging holes in the panel.

A still further object is to provide means for locating and securing an escutcheon on a panel without using screws or other fastening devices requiring use of a tool which would mar the panel.

A still further object is to provide a novel escutcheon having a shaft. opening and means for permitting the escutcheon to be properly positioned with respect to a projecting control shaft which is readily removable.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will become apparent frame consideration of the following specificationand claims in connection with the accompanying drawings illus trating an embodiment of the invention in which:

Fig. 1 is a view infront elevation of a fragment of a panel, for example of a panel of a radio or television receiver cabinet, equipped with the escutcheon and control knobs of this invention;

Fig. 2 of the drawings is a view in section of the 2 2-2 of Fig. 1 to show the relationship of the parts;

Fig. 3 is a View of the exposed face of the escutcheon plate of Fig. 1 including the plate fas= toning means; and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the fastening means of the invention.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly for the present to Fig. 1 thereof, the panel H] may be a covering panel for any control station or control device (not shown in detail). The control device, shown by way of example, includes two nested shafts 12 and M which are used to tune a television receiver (not shown). In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the panel it is mounted upon or is a part of the cabinet (not shown) of the television receiver.

It will be understood that the panel is may be the control panel of an ordinary radio receiver and that the nested shafts i2 and I4 may comprise the tuning and band switch controls of such a radio receiver. For purposes of illustration, it will be assumed that the shafts! and I4 are tuning controls for a television receiver having tuning apparatus disclosed and claimed in the copehding application for United States Le'tters Patent of John C. Ache'nbach, Serial No.

673,278, filed May 31, 1946. Parts of the general organization of the tuner which are not material to an understanding of this invention are omitted for the sake of convenience of illustration and descri tion.

The inner shaft 52 may control the station selector portion of atuner and the outer shaft I4 ma be mechanically coupled in any suitable manner to a fine tuning control. The panel H) is apertured as indicated by the reference character It, which in the illustrative arrangement is sufioi'ently large to permit access from the front of the panel to auxiliary tuning means, such. as screws l3 and 22, threadedly engaged in one of the cover plates 22, for example, of the tuner structure. The exact location of the screws IB and 28 and their functions are not important to an understanding of the present invention. They are included only by way of example as showing the flexible nature of the escutcheon 24 and escutcheon securing means 26 of. the invention.

The shaft I2 is operated by a knob 28 which is provided with a flange 29. This flange 29 normally conceals station identifying numerals 3| 'on the face of the escutcheon 24 but is provided with a notch 33 to indicate the selected station by exposing the appropriate numeral. The

panel of Fig. 1, the section b ing "taken 9 .1 l ne 455 shaft I 4 is operated by a knob 34, generally in the shape of a collar, which is nested within the knob 28. Tuning access to the knob 34 is provided by lateral openings 36 in the side of the knob 28. A flange 38 covers the end of the knob 34 and provides a finished appearance to the knob assembly. A cylindrical projection 39 centers and guides the knob 34 by engaging a bearing recess 40. The reduced portion 4! of the knob 34 is seated within the tubular part 42 of the escutcheon 24.

From the parts thus far described, it will be seen that the escutcheon 24 and the shafts l2 and 14 must be lined up with a fair degree of accuracy. This alignment may not be conveniently provided by screws, such as shown in the prior art, engaging holes in the panel l since after several removal and replacement operations of the escutcheon, not only would the panel be marred but the screw holes would be mutilated and incapable of holding an escutcheon.

The securing means 26 (shown in detail by Fig. 4 of the drawings) is generally of U-shape and is formed from spring material, piano wire, for example. Each leg 43 of the spring has a projection which may, conveniently, be bent sections 44 and 46 respectively. These projections may, if desired, be separate pieces secured to the legs 43. Their purpose is to serve as stops to limit longitudinal movement of the spring and also to provide convenient means for moving the spring longitudinally by hand without the aid of tools. The cylindrical part 42 of the escutcheon 24 is notched axially at diametrically opposite points as indicated by reference characters 48 and Each axial notch 48 and 5| is notched laterally to provide offset notches 54 and 55. The offset of each is indicated by reference character 58 and extends axially. The inside face of the escutcheon is provided with a resilient ring or gasket 59. The gasket may be of a plastic material, such as rubber, or any of the synthetics serving for the purpose of rubber, and it may be adhesively secured to the escutcheon.

The manner in which the securing means 26 retains the escutcheon 24 in place on the panel IU of the illustrative embodiment is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The bent end or bight 6! engages in back of the panel beyond the edge of the aperture 16 and the turned up ends 62 and 63 engage in back of the panel on the opposite side of the escutcheon. In this position the protuberances 44 are at one side of the opening in the cylindrical part 42. To remove the escutcheon from the panel it is only necessary to move the protuberances to the opposite side of the opening thereby releasing the bight 6! from engagement with the edge of the opening I6 of the panel. Installation of the escutcheon is accomplished in a simple manner by reversing this procedure.

Having now described my invention, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is the following:

1. In combination, a panel and an escutcheon covering an opening in said panel, a shaft projecting into said opening from the rear of said panel, .indicia on said escutcheon for indicating the angular position of said shaft, av knob Q1 said shaft, said knob having a flange substantially covering said indicia on said escutcheon, and a notch in said flange to expose one of said shaft positioning indicia whereby to indicate a selected position of said shaft.

2. A knob assembly for controlling a pair of nested shafts comprising a knob having an internal projection, said projection having an opening to receive the inside shaft of the nested pair of shafts, a second knob, said second knob having a recess, said projection of said first named knob being received in said recess, and means on said second named knob for engaging the outer shaft of said pair of nested shafts.

3. A knob assembly for controlling a pair of nested shafts projecting through a panel escutcheon having indicia for indicating the angular position of one of said shafts comprising a knob having an internal projection, said projection having an opening to receive the inside shaft of the nested pair of shafts, a second knob, said second knob having a recess, said projection of said first named knob being received in said recess, means on said second named knob for engaging the outer shaft of said pair of nested shafts, a flange on said first named knob for concealing said indicia, and means on said flange for exposing said indicia, one at a time,

4. An escutcheon for a radio apparatus panel comprising a substantially planar panel engaging part having a circular hole to accommodate control means for the radio apparatus extending through said hole, securing means for securing the substantially planar part to the radio apparatus panel comprising a cylindrical member unitary with the substantially planar part so as to extend inwardly of the panel from the substantially planar part, a U-shaped sprin member, a pair of slots extending axially in said cylindrical member from the free end thereof toward said substantially planar part, a pair of notches extending ci'rcumferentially from each slot, offset bayonet slots in said cylindrical member extending axially away from the ends of each notch, each leg of said spring member engaging in a pair of the bayonet slots, and projections on each leg of said spring member to serve as stops to limit longitudinal movement of'the spring member.

ELMER B. CAIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 3

UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark, Jr. ,Dec. 17, 1946 

